Why The Yankees Tying An MLB Home Run Record Against The Rays Is Even More Outrageous Than It Seems
The Yankees love the long ball.
In the most literal sense imaginable, the New York Yankees teed off on the Tampa Bay Rays during their quick two-game road trip earlier this week. The Bronx Bombers tied a mighty impressive home run record across the two contests, but there is one note attached to their performance that is truly mindboggling.
The Yankees hit a whopping nine home runs in their 13-3 win over Tampa Bay on Tuesday, which happened to be the second time this season they've launched nine long balls in a single game. New York followed that up with five more home runs on Wednesday in a 6-4 win in 10 innings, and their 14 home runs in two games tied the MLB record for most dingers in a two-game stretch.
The 1999 Cincinnati Reds were the last team to hit 14 home runs in two games.
During their nine home run performance in Game 1 of the series, Cody Bellinger, Giancarlo Stanton, and Jose Caballero each picked up a pair of long balls. In Game 2, Austin Wells and Trent Grisham each hit two home runs apiece in the extra-inning win.
Now, hitting 14 home runs over the course of 19 innings is absurd in its own right, but what's truly stunning is the Yankees did not score one single run during the two-game stint that didn't come courtesy of a long ball. All 19 of New York's runs in the series came via home runs.
After their record-tying performance this week, the Yankees extended their home run lead over the rest of the MLB to an impressive margin. The Yankees' 209 home runs this season are 21 more than the second team in that category, the Los Angeles Dodgers.